Messi shines with two goals, three assists as Inter Miami routs Columbus Crew 5-1
Lionel Messi waved at Inter Miami’s most ardent supporters in the Chase Stadium north stands during warmups before Saturday’s game against the Columbus Crew, and they went wild.
That was just the prelude.
Once the game began, the Argentine star gave the crowd of 20,861 plenty to cheer about during a 5-1 rout that included two goals and three assists by Messi, a goal from Tadeo Allende, a goal by Luis Suarez and another by Fafa Picault.
Inter Miami put in its best performance since Javier Mascherano took over as coach this season and ended an otherwise miserable May with back to back victories that vaulted the team from sixth place to third in the Eastern Conference, with a game in hand and within striking distance of the top spots.
Miami has scored 36 goals in 16 games, more than any team in the league, and Messi has 10 of those.
With the emphatic win, Messi and his teammates made a statement and set the stage for the next few weeks, when he and others head to national team duty before the team reconvenes for the start of the Club World Cup.
“When we play the way we did against that opponent, not just the score but dominating in a way that few teams in MLS have, making Columbus run, which is not easy to do...they usually make you suffer, I congratulated the players for playing with such bravery,” Mascherano said. “This win belongs to the players.”
He added that the two wins this week took a big weight off the team and gives the group confidence heading into the Club World Cup, which kicks off June 14 with Inter Miami against Egyptian team Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium.
“This win showed us that if we are brave, and stay calm, we can play even with any team, especially in MLS,” Mascherano said. “But the Club World Cup is a different story. The opponents, I have to be realistic, are at another level, including Al Ahly. Everyone thinks that is a lesser opponent, but I am telling you they are not. Far from it. But we will compete, try to be us. We can’t be afraid to make mistakes. We have to keep going forward.”
Messi scored a pair of early goals on Saturday and had the assist on Allende’s opening goal to give Miami a 3-0 lead at the 24-minute mark. He saved some magic for the second half, too, teaming with Telasco Segovia for another assist on Suarez’s goal and feeding the ball to Picault on a fast break.
Inter Miami dominated the typically dangerous Crew from start to finish. Miami created seven shots on goal to one for Columbus and was equally strong on defense, despite the absence of several injured players.
Messi provided the assist on Allende’s opening goal in the 13th minute, launching a long ball over the top to sprinting Allende, who made a clinical, powerful cross-body finish.
Two minutes later, as the home fans were still celebrating, Messi made it 2-0. Crew goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen, pressured by Miami midfielder Benja Cremaschi, made a poor pass, which was intercepted by Messi, who pounced on it and scored with his legendary left foot.
Messi provided more highlights in the 24th minute, beating the offside trap and collecting a long pass from Sergio Busquets and chipping the ball over Hagen’s outstretched arms to open up a 3-0 Miami lead.
As always, Messi celebrated by pointing his index fingers to the sky, a tribute to his late-grandmother, and the crowd, most of them in pink No. 10 shirts, celebrated with him.
Like everyone else watching, Mascherano marveled at Messi’s skill.
“Whether as a teammate or now as a coach, I still enjoy everything he does on the field,” Mascherano said. “Admiration is seeing in someone what you wish you could do, but can’t. Our job is to create the right environment so he can shine, enjoy, and lead this team.
“He is the best player who has ever played in the history of the sport. When he doesn’t look great, it’s because one of us is failing. That’s the reality.”
Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari was replaced at halftime by Rocco Rios Novo after he complained of leg discomfort, and the Crew scored its first goal of the night at the 58-minute mark on a Cesar Ruvalcaba header off a corner kick. Miami has been vulnerable in set piece situations, and paid the price once again with Ruvalcaba outleaping Maxi Falcon for the goal.
But Suarez made it 4-1, scoring from the left side after a nice sequence of passes from Marcelo Weigandt to Messi to Telasco Segovia to Suarez.
Picault replaced Suarez in the 81st minute and scored on a breakaway eight minutes later to put the exclamation point on the night.
Challenged with making up for an injury-plagued roster, Mascherano tweaked his starting lineup Saturday.
The team was missing injured defenders Jordi Alba and Gonzalo Lujan, as well as defensive midfielder Yannick Bright, who is also out indefinitely with a hamstring injury. Tomas Aviles sprained his ankle in Wednesday’s 4-2 win over Montreal, but was on the bench on Saturday, available if needed.
Mascherano replaced Ian Fray with the more defensive-minded Marcelo Weigandt at right back and started Cremaschi over Fede Redondo in midfield.
Messi and Suarez scored two goals each in the win over Montreal, and stepped up again against the Crew. Messi was active all night, dropping back into the midfield, and providing perfect passes to his teammates. Messi has 10 goals and six assists in MLS play.
Miami’s defense had been shaky of late, giving up 15 goals over the previous five games and the team had just two wins over a nine-game span. Mascherano said the team was not in a good place emotionally, so it pleased him to see his players so happy and celebrating Saturday night.
Inter Miami now takes a break from the MLS schedule for the FIFA window and the Club World Cup.
Messi was called up by Argentina for World Cup qualifiers against Chile June 5 and Colombia June 10. Segovia was called up by Venezuela for World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia June 6 and Uruguay June 10. Haiti invited Fafa Picault for World Cup qualifiers against Aruba June 7 and Curacao June 10.
Cremaschi will be with the U.S. Under-20 national team in Egypt for a camp and friendlies against Colombia June 7 and Egypt June 10.
This story was originally published May 31, 2025 at 7:24 PM.